


All The Little Moments

by c_morrigan



Category: Once & Future Series - Amy Rose Capetta & Cory McCarthy
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-22 20:20:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30044187
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c_morrigan/pseuds/c_morrigan
Summary: Just a collection of moments that I wanted to write from the Once & Future duology by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy. (Lots of Val and Merlin because I'm a sucker for them)
Relationships: Jordan & Val (Once & Future - Capetta & McCarthy), Merlin/Val (Once & Future - Capetta & McCarthy)
Kudos: 2





	All The Little Moments

Val stared in horror at Merlin. What had he done? What had Val cost him?

Merlin was no more than eleven years old now. There was a brand new sprinkling of freckles around his nose, and Val realised that because of him, Nin had Merlin exactly where she wanted him.

Val didn’t cry in front of Merlin. He couldn’t. Merlin was the one who was aging down, not him. He wouldn’t make it worse for him by admitting how hard it was for him. Merlin would just start to hide everything away, and Val wanted him to know that he had his back, that he could come to him, even if things couldn’t be the same as they used to be.

Val just wanted to be there for Merlin. But he wasn't sure that that was enough.

* * *

Lam looked at Val. He looked wretched. He had been putting on a brave front for Merlin, and for Ari too, but he wasn’t strong enough to keep it up for Lam.

"Just talk to me," Lam said softly.

Val moaned. "I don’t know what to do."

This wasn't like their brother. Val was normally so confident, so certain about what was happening, that Lam found themselves scared of this newfound uncertainty.

"Merlin's not going to stop," he said hoarsely. "He cares too much about us. He'll use up his magic and then he'll be gone."

"He won't be gone," Lam said fiercely. "We won't let that happen. The enchantresses at Avalon will be able to fix him, if Old Merlin can't do it himself."

"But what if he gets too young, Lam? What if he forgets who we are? Who I am?"

"We'll fix it. We'll reverse it, no matter how long it takes."

"But that's just it. We don't have time. Merlin doesn’t have time. If he gets too young, and forgets who we are, who he is, who's to say reversing it will even make him remember?"

Lam wished they knew how to comfort Val. But everything Val was saying was true. They didn’t know what they were doing, and they could lose Merlin. And there was nothing they could do to stop Merlin from putting himself at risk. In fact, Merlin seemed determined to run towards an early death by young age.

"I'm going to lose him," Val said with his head in his hands.

"Look," Lam tried to soothe their brother. "If Merlin forgets, we'll just give him new memories. Happy memories."

"But will that even be enough?"

"Enough to do what?"

"Stop him from being the person who tried to have Gwen killed."

"That's not Merlin."

"But it was him. That used to be him."

"But then he changed. He learned. He realised that the world is full of good people, that Arthur wasn’t the only person who could help. He's a good person, Val."

"I know that. But what if he forgets that he's a good person? Old Merlin keeps looking at me, with such distrust, and every single time I notice how he looks just a little bit like the boy I love. I see his eyes filled with… with anger and hate and fear every single time. I don’t want that to happen to our Merlin too. I can't lose him, Lam."

"And you won't," Lam reassured him. Before they could say anymore, however, Merlin rushed in and told them that Old Merlin was after Gwen's baby. And Lam, despite their panic, noticed how the weight on Val's shoulders seemed to get even heavier.

Lam didn’t know how to help their brother, because they didn't know if Merlin could be saved. They were terrified, and everything just seemed to be getting worse.

* * *

Jordan handed Val the bottle wordlessly. She slid down on the wall next to him, and they spent a couple of moments in the kind of silence that wasn’t awkward because you've known the other person for years, and you're close enough to understand when they just need somebody to be near them.

"I don't know if I'm ever going to see Merlin again," Val said finally, staring gloomily at his glass as he swished the contents around. "Even if I do, he mightn't remember me."

"I don’t think you can forget someone you cared about that much," Jordan replied.

"Tell that to a four year old. Kids forget all the time, Jordan. What do you remember from being four?"

Jordan wasn’t sure how to respond to that. She was worried too. If Merlin became lost to them, then she was to blame. Nobody had said as much, but she knew it was true. She had thought it was the right thing to do, letting Merlin tell their friends on his own time, but she now she wasn't so sure.

Jordan knew what it was to want to protect your friends, but she had been thinking only from Merlin's perspective. She hadn't been thinking about protecting Merlin. If he didn’t return safe, then that was on her.

"Did Gwen tell you about the baby?" Val asked hesitantly.

"Regarding their ability to glow?" Jordan raised an eyebrow.

Val nodded. "I think… look, time travel is messed up, man-"

"You think Gwen's baby is Merlin."

Val jolted. "You worked it out too?"

Jordan shrugged. "It adds up. I don’t really want to tell Gwen though."

"Yeah… I'm not particularly up for that either."

"I'm sure Gwen can't wait to hear that her baby is your boyfriend."

"Yeah I'll let Merlin handle that when he gets back," Val grinned and threw his drink back. He grimaced. "Jordan, is this water?"

"I think you got too comfortable in the Middle Ages."


End file.
